Under Your Skin
by prettytwilight
Summary: Bella is stuck in an ongoing cycle: sleep, school, turn down Mike, goes home to Alice and repeats. But when Alice convinces her to go to a concert, she meets someone who breaks the pattern, and gets under her skin in a way she could never have imagined AU
1. The Start

This story is dedicated to Julie, ladyakako, she beta's for me and writes wonderful fiction. Everyone go check out her stories!

**disclaimer.** All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. All characters are human in this story.

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Chapter One: The Start

I woke up to the annoying buzz of my alarm in time to get ready for class. It was barely the second week of school and I was already dreading it. I loved my school, just not the pressure of homework and deadlines.

I jumped into the old, red truck that my father, Charlie, had given to me as a gift for my high school graduation and left the beautiful loft that my best friend, Alice Brandon, and I shared. We met in our freshman year when she was my roommate in the residence hall at school. I was at first a little apprehensive about living with her at first because she was so hyper but she was always really nice. We had lived at the dorms at school until our lease ran out and then we moved to the loft we had now that was situated right in heart of the city and only fifteen minutes from campus.

Living in Seattle was amazing. I loved the atmosphere the city brought compared to my hometown in Arizona. It was always hot there and in this city, it rained almost everyday. The people were friendly and eager to strike a casual conversation about anything.

I originally moved here so I could attend one of the biggest art colleges in the country on a full scholarship, but I also moved here with the knowledge that I would be giving my mother a chance to travel more with her new husband, Phil, who had to travel a lot for his job.

Going into my third year of college, I finally decided that I wanted to major in creative writing with a minor in art history. Jane Austen had been my biggest inspiration since I was young and I loved reading as much as writing. It made sense for that to be what I did in life. I chose art as my minor because art had always been something I loved, even though I didn't really know why. Studying art was just comfortable for me. It didn't even feel like work because I appreciated looking at all of it so much.

Alice embodied her major more than I felt I did however. She had a living and breathing passion for fashion. I was happy she found something she loved but just not when I was her latest Barbie experiment.

I sighed and took in a fresh breath of October air as I got out of my truck and sauntered into my class. I managed to trip on my way in and looked around quickly, hoping no one had noticed my clumsiness.

"Hey Bella," said Mike Newton catching me off guard. "How was your weekend?"

"Fine," trying my hardest not to roll my eyes at how annoying he was. No matter how many times I gave him short responses, he always tried to ask me out.

"Oh yeah?? I was thinking we should go see a movie this weekend," he suggested, lightly touching my arm and looking overly confidently. Definitely too eager.

I almost lost it trying to keep up a façade of politeness.

"I'm sorry..." _I would rather...scratch my eyes out... kiss a dog... go shopping with Alice..._ I remembered a concert Alice invited me to this weekend and it was the first thing that came to mind. "I already made plans with Alice to go see a concert," I lied.

"Oh cool, maybe some other time." He looked convinced enough and let the topic go.

The professor started his lecture and by the time I glanced at the clock again it was time to leave.

Alice and I usually met for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays since we both had the same two-hour gap between the next class. Even though we lived together, our schedules always interfered with us hanging out on a daily basis.

I walked across the street clutching onto my pea coat trying not to trip again in this rainy weather. The cafe we frequented was so beautiful. Walking into the place felt like you were in Paris with all its eclectic decorations and colorful glazed pastries.

I saw Alice already sitting inside the shop by the window wearing a bright green dress. "Hey Bella!!" said Alice, kissing me on the cheek.

We exchanged greetings and ordered off the menu. I ordered a crème brulee to go along with a warm latte and Alice was comfortable with just a sandwich.

I brought my cup of coffee to my lips, relishing the flavor and getting lost in my thoughts.

Alice snapped me out of my reverie. "So tell me what cheesy line Mike used on you today," she asked, giggling.

"Ugh worse! He invited me to go out again." I was still annoyed and Alice loved hearing the weekly gossip about the vile Mike.

"And what excuse did you use this time?" she chuckled, waiting for my response so she could laugh some more. "I said I had plans with you to go see that concert," I said, shrugging.

Alice squealed so loud that it almost scared me to death. "Oh my god Bella! I'm so excited you finally decided you wanted to go with me! It's going to be so much fun," she gushed, talking at rapid speed.

"Sorry, Alice, I just used it as an excuse..." I said, trying not to upset her.

It's not that it didn't sound like fun, but I had actually planned on spending the day alone at the museum. I always needed a day where I could escape all the stress of school and life.

"But Bella!!" she whined and throwing me her best pouty lip. "Please, Jasper will be really happy if you could show some support."

Jasper was Alice's boyfriend who was a music major at our school. He was one of the people who were performing on stage at the concert. He amazed me when he played the guitar with such ease, closing his eyes every time and being completely lost in each beat.

He always tried to teach me play whenever he got the chance. Feeling a little guilty, I agreed and Alice smiled mischievously.

"Great! We have all Saturday morning to shop for outfits!" she said so fast that I almost didn't catch it myself.

"Do we really have to? I _do_ have clothes, Alice," I whined. It was always a losing battle for me when it came to shopping for clothes.

"Of course! It's semi-formal so we have to look our best," she continued and rambled on about what was in style at the moment.

It looked like I had no way of escaping this weekend but I promised myself I would try my best to enjoy it.

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**a/n. **This is my first AU human fan fiction. Enjoy and review, it makes me update faster! I'd like to hear what you think about it.


	2. Undying Melody

Wow, thank you all for all the reviews and alerts! Listen to this song from "www. you tube. com / watch? vZKuratmk2jM" it's sort of a soundtrack song with this chapter. The title is called "Comptine d'Été N°2" by Yann Tiersen. It's what inspired this chapter!

**disclaimer.** All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. All characters are human in this story.

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Chapter Two - Undying Melody

I walked through the doors of my loft and slumped into the couch with my bags still clasped in my hands. I was completely swamped after Alice had taken me shopping. She dragged me into every store possible making me try on various things.

I settled on just purchasing a casual midnight blue dress that ended up right at my knees. I wanted to wear black tights underneath to try to keep myself warm in this never-ending season of rain.

Alice insisted that I just _had_ to buy new shoes to go along with my outfit. She showed me different styles of heels that made me cringe. I pictured myself falling on my face and made me want to rethink about tonight's concert. It was just a bad accident waiting to happen. I opted for a black pair of flats with a tiny heel to make her happy.

Alice shook my shoulder lightly. "Come on Bella! Let's go get ready for tonight. Rosalie is on her way here." She smiled weakly, knowing how I felt about her friend.

Rosalie was Jasper's twin sister and also one of Alice's best friends. Her boyfriend Emmett was the drummer in the band and was playing tonight with Jasper. I never really had the chance to get to know all of them. Being the fifth wheel made me feel uncomfortable at times so I usually tried to avoid the situation at all costs.

I showered quickly and proceeded to Alice's room where we usually got ready. Rosalie was already there, chatting along with her.

I walked slowly towards them, trying to stall. "Hi Rosalie," I said, not wanting to meet her eyes.

She flipped her beautiful blonde hair to her other shoulder. "Hello Bella." She glared at me through her piercing eyes and her lips pulled up to a forced smile.

I always had a vibe that she disliked me and I couldn't figure why. Alice assured me that it took time to get used to it and that she wasn't intimidating, as she seemed. I waited patiently for that day to come.

My ego dropped as I stared at the both of them. Rosalie wore a crimson red dress with matching black heels making her look like she belonged on the red carpet. Alice wore a black dress that fit around her tiny frame nicely and made her pale skin look strikingly beautiful.

I remembered I was still in my robe looking like a drowned cat. "Let's get this over with," I sighed.

Alice clapped her hands together with an excited smile on her face. "I'm so excited! It's going to be so fun Bella! Lighten up!"

She and Rosalie started taking apart my hair and put makeup on my face. I closed my eyes not wanting to look at all the strange tools they were going to use on me.

Finally they were finished and told me to put on my outfit without peaking in the mirror. I did what I was told and I was a little bit of excited to see how everything turned out.

I turned around to face the mirror and gasped. "Wow..." I said, shockingly. My chocolate brown hair was in tiny waves cascading on my shoulders. My makeup looked natural and held a certain glow on my face. The black mascara lightened up my eyes and the tint of light pink lip gloss plumped my lips.

I haven't felt this good about myself in a while and I was strangely beginning to enjoy the evening. Alice and Rosalie giggled at their success. "Bella, you're naturally beautiful. You don't need a lot of makeup." Alice smiled.

We arrived at the local art museum where the concert was being held. It was a charity event to keep the museum running and all the ticket money served as donations. It felt right to support local artists and I knew that "starving artists" had real meaning to it.

The museum was beautiful but aging. Large artwork was posted on every bare wall with yellow spotlights shining down on its glory. I caught myself being lost in every piece, completely ignoring what was going around me. One particular painting caught my eye of two pale childlike hands holding together a crimson apple with blackness surrounding it. Sinful. Forbidden.

Alice almost ran into me. "There you are Bella! I've been looking all over for you!" She said exasperated. "The band is just about to start! I wanna watch from the front come on." She grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd that was starting to form.

Rosalie was already there with her eyes set on her boyfriend. Jasper and Emmett waved at me from the stage as they finished setting up their equipment of numerous drum parts and different wires connecting to the amps. I spotted a grand piano in the corner and wondered if there would be a third member to make the band.

The main lights of the museum dimmed and lights shined onto the stage. The loud music vibrated throughout the room as a pretty melody danced. Jasper sang with a velvet twang in his voice while strumming on his guitar. The song mixed with Emmett's intense drumbeats, leaving an echo in my ears.

I heard soft piano notes flowing freely into the chorus. It sounded so fresh and calming, like I could sway in a way only a person in love could.

I tried to find where the sound was coming from but as soon as the music started, people pushed up the front and with my luck, I was stuck behind the tallest person possible.

I glanced at Alice who was twirling around next to me completely admiring Jasper as he sang out to her.

The band played one more song and then crowd started to disperse around the museum with casual talk and red wine. I stayed near the stage glancing at the rest of the artwork being displayed.

That's when I heard the grand piano starting to play again as my eyes shot up towards the main stage. A dark shadow shined around the beautiful man starting the song. His bronze hair disheveled over his eyes as his fingers danced around the ivory keys. His eyes were closed as his head rocked back and forth with the music.

The world kept moving as people continued on with their conversations. Time seemed to stop in slow motion for me. The song was filled with tragedy as intangible memories sifted through the air. Each note sliced through me as I continued to watch him, feeling the pain that matched the fallen melody.

His eyes flickered opened and I realized he was staring at me with an intense glare. I looked up and couldn't shy my eyes away from him. My heartbeat started ringing in my ears. My mind was telling me to break away from his gaze.

The song ended and his wild fire eyes dimmed, as I stood there alone wondering what I had done wrong.

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Reviews make me happy and write faster. It's appreciated! :) Question: Would you prefer shorter chapters and faster updates or longer chapters but slower updates? Just wondering.


	3. A Round of Drinks

Thank you for all the reviews! They're greatly appreciated and inspires me to update faster! Special thanks to dvrondran, for the awesome review that made me happy! Also, if you don't have an account, I still love anonymous comments!

**disclaimer.** All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. All characters are human in this story.

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_Recap: His eyes flickered opened and I realized he was staring at me with an intense glare. I looked up and couldn't shy my eyes away from him. My heartbeat started ringing in my ears. My mind was telling me to break away from his gaze._

_The song ended and his wild fire eyes dimmed, as I stood there alone wondering what I had done wrong._

Chapter Three – A Round of Drinks

Alice lightly tugged on my hand, snapping me out of the trance his emerald eyes put me in.

"Hey Bella the museum is closing soon," she said. "Come on, we're all meeting at Jasper's apartment for some drinks and to celebrate!"

I groaned. There would almost certainly be people there who I would have to force myself to talk to for the sake of conversing. I really found these parties pointless because in the end, no one really cared what you had to say.

All I really cared about at the moment was the guy that had been playing the piano. When I glanced back to the stage, he was gone ...maybe he would be at the party? _Pathetic, Bella, stop it!_ He probably wouldn't talk to me even if he were there.

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We arrived at Jasper's apartment a little while later and I admired its simple and sleek furnishings. It wasn't your typical bachelor pad with playboy posters on the wall or a place to have beer and pizza for dinner every night. That was definitely more of Emmett's style.

I looked around and noticed that there were people from the museum and some students from our school who couldn't make it to the show earlier. I searched for that pair of beautiful green eyes among all the others in the room. I didn't want to look for him, but I couldn't help it.

I still didn't understand why he was glaring at me. Maybe the paranoid side of me had taken over and he didn't even notice me. So many questions raced through my brain and it was driving me to the edge. All I wanted was reassurance that I didn't cause him those harsh emotions.

I walked towards the bar area in the kitchen to grab a drink. I needed to calm my nerves.

"Hey, Bella!" Emmett's booming voice alarmed me. He gave me a big bear hug until I couldn't breathe. "Let's get drunk!"

I laughed lightly. It felt so easy being around him sometimes. "No thanks, Em. I just want a little drink."

Jasper and Alice joined in the conversation.

"Haha, Bella's a lightweight! Wine coolers make her drunk!" Alice mumbled and laughed. I could tell she was already drunk by her cheeks, which had turned a light shade of pink. I shot her a deathly glare.

Jasper gave me one of those "please-forgive-me" looks.

"Remember that one time when Bella--" Jasper laughed.

"NO!!" I yelled too loudly. I felt the blush rise on my cheeks as I remembered being drunk and waking up with my head on the toilet seat. Jasper stayed that night with Alice. He had laughed so hard when he saw me that I woke up and banged my head against the counter.

Emmett grabbed me a glass.

"Aww come on, Bells, it's all for laughs! We all have embarrassing drunk stories," he teased.

Normally, Jasper was calm and collected but when he started drinking he was like a new person.

He put his arm around Emmett. "Yeah especially you man!" he continued. "For his twenty first birthday, we decided to fly to Las Vegas. Everything was going fine until we landed at the club. Emmett had one too many "birthday shots" and passed out. We couldn't carry the big guy so we had to beg the hotel to let us use one of those luggage carts that the bell hoppers used!"

Everyone busted out in laughter and I couldn't breathe from giggling so hard.

"No, that's not the best part," Jasper continued. "Rosalie was so pissed off at him because he promised he wouldn't drink on their special night that she made him sleep outside their hotel room in the cart with only his shirt on!"

Rosalie joined in with an evil smirk on her face. "In the morning, I heard him knocking on our neighbor's door and yelling for my name. The person opened it thinking it was house cleaning and..."

Emmett covered his face with his hands.

"A man opened the door and winked at me! He asked if I was the escort he called for! It was the worst experience of my life!!" he said, almost yelling now.

A few other people listened in and were laughing along with us and asking him questions. Emmett raised a glass towards me.

"Okay, okay, make me a drink and quit your whining!" I giggled, feeling comfortable for once.

The drink was very fruity and sweet. I couldn't even taste the alcohol with all the different flavors mixed. I ended up having two more drinks and decided I was okay for the night, feeling too lightheaded.

I left our little crowd and stepped outside to the balcony to catch some fresh air. I was surprised when I managed to not trip in my heels or run into people.

It was dark outside, casting dark blues all across the starry sky. Only the streetlamps from below and the lights from the party were visible now.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw his lean form against the rail. My breath hitched and my heart raced, making it impossible to even move my legs. He was standing outside alone looking like a nicely chiseled statue.

I walked over to the other side of the balcony and casually took in the view of Seattle. I glanced at him a few times through my hair. I was completely mesmerized by his presence and felt like my stomach was in knots.

I really wanted to talk to him but was afraid. The alcohol in me gave me some courage.

"Hey..." I said with a shaky voice.

No response. Maybe he didn't hear me?

"I...I enjoyed your piano piece a lot," I said, a little louder.

His feet shifted across the scratchy floor.

"Yes, thank you... uh," he trailed off in a velvety tone. I could only see his dark form and he was only inches away from me now.

My hands were beginning to get clammy.

"Oh, it's Bella. My name is Bella Swan," I supplied nervously and stuck out my hand.

"My name is Edward Cullen. Pleasure to meet you, Bella. Sorry, I didn't have a chance to properly introduce myself before," he said with a smile in his voice and shook my hand.

I felt an electric shock pass through us and we both let our hands go as if we both grabbed a burning pan. I ached for his warm touch but instead I shoved my hands deep in my coat pockets.

I was dizzy and couldn't fathom all of what was happening at the moment. The alcohol struck me harder than I thought I could handle and everything seemed to blur.

EPOV-

I felt the piano keys slide beneath my fingers as I played the most recent song I had composed. I was at ease, closing my eyes and letting the melody take over my broken soul.

My mind drifted to the main reason why I had composed the song in the first place. My unstable ex-girlfriend Jessica told me off one night when I didn't bother on calling her back.

_"Edward Cullen, you're so selfish. Edward, all you care about is yourself. You don't deserve me or anyone else. Edward... you don't know how to love."_

It was all too true. Her words kept echoing in my ears as I pictured her thrashing side to side, throwing anything in sight at me. I've always known myself to be a monster. What she said only confirmed what I already knew. I hardly felt any real emotions or felt a connection with anyone.

I didn't love her and I didn't understand how I had ended up with her. Our relationship only lasted for two months before leading up to the big fight. She tried to contact me everyday to apologize but I didn't want anything to do with her. I knew she wasn't sorry because I heard she moved on the next week to another guy.

As the piano solo was coming to an end, I opened my eyes to see the crowd. I immediately saw this beautiful girl with brown eyes staring back at me with a certain longing.

I couldn't break away from her tantalizing gaze and it was frustrating. I could not ruin another person's life again with my selfishness and I knew that if I went after her, that's what would happen. I didn't even know her, but I knew I didn't deserve her and it would be best if she didn't know the real me.

I left the stage in search of Jasper to let him know I was heading home.

"Great show, Jasper," I said, shaking his hand.

"Not bad yourself, man. Hey, a couple of us are going down to my apartment to celebrate since the museum is closing in a few minutes," he continued. "You should come, Edward, it will be fun."

I debated on going mostly for my new motivation. I knew that she would be there with her friends. Logic took over and reminded that I shouldn't go. It would be a big mistake.

Jasper, however, took my silence as a yes.

"I'll see you at my apartment in a few minutes," He said.

I couldn't back out now that he was expecting me to be there. I went to my silver Volvo and turned the engine on with the soundings of Yann Tiersen filling the air.

I arrived in a few minutes and walked towards the apartment building. I quietly opened the door of the home, not wanting to be noticed. I instantly saw her giggling and smiling at some story that Jasper was telling.

I walked outside to the balcony to collect my thoughts. Being here felt very wrong. I didn't belong here, especially when I really wanted to go meet that beautiful girl. She was so innocent and had a glow radiating from her that made me feel exceptionally ugly.

It was getting colder and the rain poured even harder now. I heard the sliding door open and saw her small form standing there for a minute before walking across to stand on the other side of me.

_I really need to get out of here, now! _My subconscious screamed at me.

"Hey…" I heard her soft voice.

I didn't respond for a moment because my brain was telling me loudly to leave. She would be better off not knowing me.

She continued with a louder tone, "I enjoyed your piano piece a lot."

I walked closer to her, wanting to be near her warm body. I didn't want to be rude so I responded the best way I could without being a jerk.

"Yes, thank you... uh..." _What was her name?!_

"Oh, it's Bella. My name is Bella Swan," she answered.

"My name is Edward Cullen. Pleasure to meet you, Bella. Sorry, I didn't have a chance to properly introduce myself before," I said, smiling.

I shook her outstretched hand and as our hands met, I felt my pulse racing hard. We both dropped our hands, slightly backing away from each other.

She looked up at me, staggered.

"How long have you played for?" She asked.

"Since I was four years old," I said automatically.

She moved closer to me and I almost felt her chest against mine.

"What?! Sorry, I can't hear you through this rain," she yelled.

I bent down towards the hollow of her ear and repeated the words. She shuddered and nodded quietly.

I smelt the sweet strawberry alcohol on her as she took small breaths. I neared her mouth wanting to taste it.

My logical side took over however and I backed away from her. _No, she doesn't need a demon in her life._

She stroked her temples and grabbed onto the rail of the balcony. "Uhh, excuse me, Edward, I don't feel too well..." Bella said weakly.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I panicked.

"My head is spinning. I'll be fine. I just had a few drinks," she said, trying to calm down.

I grabbed her arm lightly, wanting to go inside.

"Bella you need to sit down for a second. Let's go inside and I'll grab you some water," I commanded.

"No, there are too many people in there. I'll just call a cab and go home," she mumbled and pulled out her cell phone.

I felt frustrated and was worried about her, but I didn't know how to comfort her. I just wanted to take care of her more than anything.

"That won't be necessary," I informed her. "I'll be more than happy to drive you home."

Her eyes were unreadable.

"Please just stay here, I don't want to ruin your night by taking care of me. I'll be okay once I get home," she pleaded.

She couldn't possibly ruin my night even if she tried.

"Bella, it's not a problem. I want to make sure you get home safely," I insisted.

I helped her through the sliding door and back to the party. She was even prettier up close than I what remembered her to be from just a few hours ago. But right now, she looked a bit more pale and flushed than was probably normal for her.

Alice ran up to us and immediately started to worry.

"Bella! What's wrong? Are you okay sweetie? Edward? When did you get here?" she asked rapidly.

"Yeah, I just feel a bit dizzy. I'll be fine Alice," Bella answered complacently.

I heard Emmett's boisterous laugh in the kitchen.

"Can't handle it, Bella?" Then Rosalie slapped his arm. "Ouch…I'm sorry, Bella, feel better!"

Alice and everyone else seemed too drunk to be driving.

"Would it be alright if I took her home? I haven't had anything to drink and you can't drive her either," I asked, meeting her eyes.

Her eyes flashed towards Bella making sure it would be fine with her. Bella smiled and nodded.

"I'll meet you at home tomorrow. You have fun okay?" she told Alice weakly. "Don't worry about me."

With that, we said our goodbyes and were followed by many get-well wishes as we left Jasper's apartment.

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Thank you to LadyAkako for being my beta, always the icing on the cake! Everyone go check out her awesome AU story "New Kiss". You can find it in my favorite stories in my profile!

Review and I will send you a small sneak peek into chapter 4! Feel free to ask questions, thoughts, or have ideas what will happen in future chapters!


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